healing hearts

Chapter 26

Alexa's POV

I stay in the shower until the water starts getting cold. When I get out, I take my time drying myself and my hair. I throw on a thong and one of Ben's t-shirts that he left here. It smells like him and brings me some form of comfort, as much as I can get at this point I guess.

I come out of the bedroom, Brooke still laying on my bed, she looks at me and moves over, patting the bed next to her. I take a sip of my water, it's both refreshing and painful, my throat hurts.

Brooke doesn't speak as I get into bed next to her and lay down. She plays with my hair as I lay there quietly.

I don't remember much, but eventually I fall asleep.

Ben's POV

We make it to the lake quickly because there are no cars on the road. I spot Alex sitting on top of a picnic table, a bottle of liquor next to him. I barely wait for James to stop the car before i'm jumping out and walking towards him.

I stop a few feet away and just stare at him, my whole body buzzing with anger. He doesn't even look at me as he says, "back so soon Ben? I didn't think school ended for another week or two. Or did you just miss me that much?" He turns his head to look at me as he says that last part, with a smug smirk on his face.

"Cut the bullshit Alex, you know exactly why i'm here. Why'd you do it?" I'm fuming.

"I don't know what you're talking about Ben." He smirks.

"Fine, you want me to say it? You were at that party tonight and you raped Alexa you piece of shit. You followed her into that bathroom and hurt her badly."

At that, he chuckles, "She deserved to be hurt worse, but I had to make my point and send my message quickly before her little bodyguards found her. Seems to me like you don't know your girlfriend Ben. A good fuck was all she's ever been good for. She has a smart fucking mouth and she's a little slut. It's no wonder she let me take her virginity before we even dated. Did you see what she was wearing? She was asking for it. She wanted ME. Have you even hit that yet?"

"What the fuck was your point Alex?" I spit out, i'm shaking with rage.

He laughs, "you. I had to make my point and send a message to you. You're the reason she broke up with me and if I can't have her, no one can. My message is that it's going to be so easy to get to her without you here. Now she's fucking ruined. And if given the chance i'd do it again." He takes a sip from his bottle of liquor.

I lunge toward him and grab him by the front of his shirt and punch him right in the nose. His heads whips to the side and then turns to me again.

"You raped her. You beat her up so bad, she could've died you fucking prick. She hasn't spoken a fucking word in hours. You beat the life out of her eyes. There's nothing in them anymore." I spit out.

"Whatever you want to call it. I ruined her for you. The bitch deserved it. I told you she'd be mine once you left, I just had to find the perfect time to get her alone. I don't make empty threats Ben. I could've hurt her more." I punch him. "Good, I finally found a way to shut that smart mouth bitch up. Breaking up with me is on her, but she'll always be mine now. Every time you touch her, she'll think of me, of what I did to her. I fucking ruined her. You should've heard her scream man, and the way she cries, God, she cries so pretty." He laughs. "Alexa's pathetic Ben, she didn't even fight back." He laughs again.

God, he's way more fucked up than I thought. He's laughing about raping someone. He's too far gone, and so am I.

I punch him again, this time in the mouth. "Keep her fucking name out of your mouth. She's not yours anymore Alex. You didn't ruin anything. She couldn't fight back, she hit her head hard. Unfortunately for you, she was able to stay conscious because now she knows it was you and she'll take you down. She will talk again and she will let me touch her. I'm going to ruin you."

He laughs, "good luck with that, she can try but my parents have the best lawyers money can buy, i'll get off easy. She feels so good man, you could've told me you wanted her, I would've shared." He turns his head and spits blood from his mouth.

I lose control as he keeps taunting me. My restraint snaps. I punch him and punch him. The adrenaline kicking in full force. I don't even feel him hitting me back or feel it when my knuckles split. I keep hitting and hitting, my heart racing in my ears.

I don't know how much time passes but I feel James pulling me back, screaming at me.

"BEN! BEN! C'mon man!! Get off him! The police are on their way. You're gonna kill him!" He screams, finally snapping me out of it and pulling me off of Alex. I take a deep breath and stand up, flexing my hand, looking down and seeing my busted knuckles and wiping the blood coming from my nose.

The police arrive a few minutes later. Two officers walk up to us, Alex is sitting up, propped up against the picnic table, bleeding and barely conscious.

"What's going on here fellas?" One officer says. I can't speak, my adrenaline still pumping, I stand there with James as he tells the cop everything.

"Okay, so where is the girl?" The other officer asks.

"She's home, resting. She just got back from the hospital, she's going to the station first thing in the morning." James says.

The officers look at each other, "okay, well we can't charge him with that right now. But we are taking him in for underage drinking and public intoxication. You boys get home." One of them says.

James and I nod and go back to his car. We get in and he starts driving.

"Take me back to Alexa's." I say.

James shakes his head. "I will, but you're coming to my house first to clean yourself up. She can't see you like this, your nose is bleeding, your forehead is cut and your knuckles are busted."

I sigh. I know there's no point in fighting with him because he's right. She can't see me like this, there's no way i'll be able to hide the cuts, i'll have to tell her what happened but I can't show up bloody.

I nod, "okay, you're right."